Man United Transfers: 5 Great Players Fergie Missed Out On

Generally, players sign for Manchester United with the thought of moving on or moving up in the world, in a pursuit of bigger and better things. And it is something that has worked for plenty of players in recent years, with Wayne Rooney, Ashley Young, Antonio Valencia, Michael Carrick and Rio Ferdinand all coming from other Premiership clubs in the hope of silverware and bigger wages, which they have all achieved. Also, United's track record of bringing through youngsters like Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes and David Beckham is an example of why it would be very tempting for players to join the club as youth players, with the chance of being moulded into one of the game's greats. Whatever time a player is in United's sights, it is rare that they miss out. The reason this is relevant right now is that the world's in-form player is one of those players who evaded United's grasp: Gareth Bale chose Tottenham back in 2007 despite being linked with a move to Old Trafford. I'm sure, looking back at it now, Bale will have absolutely no regrets as his development so far at Tottenham has been excellent. Looking at some other notable examples of players United didn't manage to reel in, did it work out as well for them? Here are 5 players Fergie missed out on (not in any particular order)...